Six players and the coach of Hapoel Tel Aviv do not return to Israel after the latest bombings
EHapoel Tel Aviv is one of the great contenders to win the Eurocup and get the prize of playing in the Euroleague next season. However, Its course may be altered by the war conflict that Israel is experiencingwho in the last few hours has experienced new episodes with the Israeli ground invasion of Lebanon and the launch of hundreds of missiles from Iran on Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.
The Israeli team played its second game in the Eurocup this Tuesday (victory over the Lithuanian Wolves Twinsbet Vilnius by 89-84). It was the first at home and he played it in the Bulgarian exile of the Samokov Arena, located in a town of the same name, near Sofia. This Wednesday, the team was to return to Israel, but several of its members will not get on the planeas confirmed by the club.
Patrick Beverley, in a match with Hapoel Tel Aviv.
“Due to the security situation, the team coach Stefanos Dedas and some of the players will stay to train in Sofia and join the team in Belgrade”can be read in the statement issued by Hapoel Tel Aviv. The team members who have stayed with their coach are Braian Angola, Marcus Foster, Ishmail Carzell Wainwright, Bruno Caboclo, Ben Bentil y Johnathan Motley. Joe Ragland and former NBA Patrick Beverleystar of the team, did plan to return to Tel Aviv.
“If a bomb explodes, I’m leaving”
The point guard, in an interview before the season began, seemed happy to be in Tel Aviv. “I’m not aware of any dangerous places there, but safety is important. If a bomb explodes, I’m leaving.”said. For now, it seems that the team’s discipline remains despite the complicated situation.
Hapoel faces Maccabi Ramat this Sunday in the domestic competition. Then he will face a new Eurocup match that has also had to be relocated, since against Besiktas and will be played in Belgrade. As happened last season, The duels between Turkish and Israeli teams are not played in Türkiye for security reasons due to bad relations between the two countries.
The Euroleague begins this Thursday with the presence of Maccabi Tel Aviv, who will host ASVEL Villeurbanne also in Belgradewhere they already played their home games last season. They are the consequences of the war that Israel is experiencing, which seems further from ending every day, and which are once again transferred to European basketball.
